seed money

American  

noun

1. capital for the initial stages of a new business or other enterprise, especially for the initial operating costs.

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seed money British  

noun

1. money used for the establishment of an enterprise

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Etymology

Origin of seed money

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

As of mid-March, parents and guardians had signed up roughly four million children for the accounts, with more than 800,000 of them eligible for the $1,000 seed money, according to the Treasury Department.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Take a child born this year who gets the $1,000 seed money.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

A dispute over reforms to an SBA program that funds startups has cut the flow of seed money to Southern California’s defense tech firms.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

It’s possible she did this with seed money from her husband and, yes, it’s possible that she did this without it.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025

He gave a million dollars in seed money and hired an attorney to draw up papers for Partners in Health and its corresponding sister organization in Haiti, Zanmi Lasante.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French